Mangekyou's Blessing
by xxFrozenSn0wxx
Summary: Finding out his true heritage and being sent back in time was not what Naruto expected when he died but he wasn't one to complain. There was just one major problem, though. That problem being that he was sent back further than anyone would have guessed.
1. Prologue

Author's Notes: Hey guys! This is my new story and if you haven't read my other two stories, Orphaned Legacy and Illusory Reality, then you should! Hahah…we I'm not sure if I should continue this story either, so please tell me what you think! Don't forget to review…now, on with the story and read the warning. Nothing is established so please give suggestions.

You know what? Since it just seemed too problematic with all the questions and such, I'll just make it** no slash** for now as it has yet to be decided. People keep asking and questioning and I don't really care either way, **making it up to you guys**. It's really tiring with people keep on asking me about it, and if it is a problem for you, then please, you can choose not to read my story. I can't give an answer to the people who seek one right now, so I'm sorry for the inconvenience. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Mangekyou's Blessing**

Prologue

Naruto jumped from tree to tree, scanning his surroundings for any enemy nins, or more specifically for a certain slimy snake. His cerulean eyes flashed red for a moment, filled with the utmost feeling of loathing and hatred. Orochimaru would pay. Oh yes, the snake would pay dearly for what he had done and die by his own hands and no one else's. The blonde wanted no one else but himself to feel, to have that sweet, bitter satisfaction. Uchiha Madara, too, also had once been originally on the top of that list but he and his "counterpart," as he called it, Tobi, were deposed of in the very beginnings of the war as a last act against the Akatsuki.

It was not a moment to celebrate as many lost their lives in the battle. Nearly all of the original Rookie Nine were killed in action, the only left being himself and…Sasuke.

For that matter, the other Uchiha and snake bastard had both not only single handedly ruined his life, but everyone else's as well. From the very beginning, Madara had summoned the Kyuubi unto their plane—him being the reason for the attack, which in turn forced the Yondaime to seal the demon inside of him. Orochimaru, on the other hand, created the Sound village and officially issued the Third Shinobi War from the front lines years after his first attack during the chuunin exams, a time in which he also killed the Third Hokage, and not to mention turning his best friend a traitor and missing-nin. Well, ex-best friend, Naruto had given up in bringing him back after Sakura relieved him of his promise as she died in his arms, killed by the red eyed Sharingan user himself.

The war was soon going to come to a close, Naruto could feel it. The time for the body switch also drew nearer and the other villages grew antsy at the awaited occasion. Orochimaru was, no doubt, at the height of his power and stronger than ever imaginable in personal and economical stature with the Sound village holding the numerous allies that they did. The need for the switch made everyone, especially Konoha, on edge and nervous with anxiety. If the snake was still willing with how strong he has become now, then just how powerful would he be when he inhabited the Uchiha's body? No one knew, and that did nothing to relieve the uneasiness that they undoubtedly held.

Naurto sighed heavily, absentmindedly fingering a lock of blonde hair that blew across his face. It was hard to believe that his whole life was based on a thin web veiled with lies and deceit, but it was to be expected in the life of a ninja.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Hokage-sama, Uzumaki Naruto is here to speak with you." A porcelain mask of the Anbu on guard outside her door came into her vision. The Slug Sannin was not having a good day, and she was pretty sure that the local blonde vessel of the village wasn't going to leave very happy at the end of this meeting either._

_Tsunade sighed, taking one last sip from her sake bottle, "Send him in."_

_A moment later, a familiar seventeen year old, blue eyed blonde, whiskered boy sauntered into view. As the Godaime looked at him, she couldn't help but notice the nearly identical image of the late Yondaime. He had certainly grown into a handsome, incredibly talented ninja that climbed the shinobi ranks with great celerity. _

"_What is it, baa-chan? I have a lot of training to do." Naruto said with an irritated tone, but the amusement dancing in his eyes gave him away. "Gaki!" The blonde woman threw her empty sake bottle at him, "Don't call me that!" she yelled, smiling fondly at him throughout the encounter while Naruto skillfully dodged the projectile with a feline grace, moving as little as possible. "So, what is it that you wanted to speak with me about?"_

"_Your heritage."_

_The blonde froze, lifting his head slowly to meet her eyes. "Are you serious?" he whispered in a strained voice, face expressing an emotion between sorrow and happiness before he settled for a blank look._

_Tsunade's eyes were narrowed with a serious expression on her face. "Do you think I would be?" she asked casually, but the other blonde didn't give her an answer. "What about it?" the blonde asked curtly, startling the Sannin. "W-what?_

_The blonde's cerulean eyes narrowed dangerously. "What about my heritage is so important that you would tell me this now?" Naruto asked in a quiet, hard voice. "Why now? Is it really that important?"_

"_Yes. It is," she sighed, "I just want you to know about your family, Naruto, or at less of them. I would think that you would have wanted this."_

"_Well, I don't, okay!" he stood up, running his hands through his hair, "I-I…I don't know. Maybe I do, but all this time I thought that no one knew who they were and—I don't know, it's just…" he sighed in agitation, walking over to the window with a view over the village, once again running his hand in a familiar gesture through his bright blonde hair._

_Tsunade's sympathetic brown eyes stayed on his back as he gazed out the window. "I can't necessary say that I understand, Naruto." she spoke softly, but quickly adopted a serious expression in its place, speaking sternly, "I'm sorry, but I don't know what I can say—what you want me to say to you, but I can't just tell you what you want to hear." She watched as his back stiffened and grew tense. Sadness flickered across her face for a moment as he turned back, lying across his seat rather carelessly. _

"_I can't make you do it, you know." She opened her top right drawer, taking out a file and placing it onto her desk face down, using her finger to slide it across the smooth, cool surface. "It's completely your decision."_

_The blonde's eyes looked up at her through his hair, and Tsunade suddenly felt a chill go down her spine as those intense cerulean eyes met her own. He slowly leaned forward, placing his forearms on his knees, head bowed with his hair shadowing his face. The blue eyed teen leisurely reached out and took hold of the file before pushing it back across the desk. "Then do us all a favor and burn these files because I never want to see them again." _

_With that, Naruto stood, turned on his heel and swiftly left the room, leaving nothing but the soft echoing of his footsteps behind._

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"Sasuke…"

The last Uchiha turned to his direction, standing on a tree branch a small distance away. It was a wonder why he still stood by Orochimaru's side after achieving his "ambition" long ago. Especially since he knew that his time was running short before Orochimaru would be exchanging bodies soon. There was something, something more underneath that Naruto just couldn't see. Having seen those that constantly flanked the Uchiha, it wasn't hard to see who was planning to betray who. The snake was going to be fooled by a snake far more cunning and sly than even himself, and Orochimaru would regret and wonder where he went wrong in creating something he could no longer control. Well, he would, but too bad for him that Naruto had dibs on his head first.

There was one thing that he knew for sure, though. There was no doubt that the boy that had once been his teammate had grown quite graciously into a man, he just possessed a few…ah, let's say feminine features. He was quite handsome with his thin lithe body and his well sculpted face that completed his whole "pretty boy" look.

There was a philosophy where two types of pretty boys existed. The first being when the boy or man actually does look a bit on the feminine side or held androgynous characteristics, which is where Sasuke now stood. The second is when a boy or man has…soft masculine features.

The years have definitely favored the Uchiha in this aspect and no one in their right mind could deny this, but he definitely wasn't the only who to change over the number of years. Gone was the boy who was loud, brash, and orange-loving to an experienced, well-trained shinobi. His hideous orange jumpsuits were all trashed and destroyed with a simple Katon jutsu within the first week of training with the super pervert. After a proper burial and time for mourning, his jumpsuits that always seemed to scream for a target, were replaced with a black long sleeve turtleneck shirt and dark green pants that stopped above his ankles where bandages were tightly wound as well as around his forearms to his knuckles from under his shirt. A black cloak rested over his shoulders, displaying his headband around his neck proudly for all to see. Naruto's golden blonde hair grew longer above his shoulders and hanging over his eyes, parting to the side. The only thing that seemed relatively unchanged and the same were his eyes that have become more intense and beautiful. His face was unseen through the mask that he adorned. The blonde's most surprising trait, though, was his height, going from the shortest of the Rookie nine to one of the tallest at nearly six feet.

Sasuke's image flickered and he just vanished as red met cerulean in the next instant as the Sharingin-user was just inches from his person. Naruto didn't react, choosing to merely blink and stare into his dark coal eyes.

"How long has it been, Sasuke?" he spoke, sounding curious and mocking, shifting his gaze beyond the man that stood before him.

The raven haired man didn't respond, reaching out to cup the side of Naruto's face with his left hand. He slowly lowered it, efficiently hooking his forefinger under the blonde's mask. Naruto's eyes sharpened, narrowing dangerously before immediately grabbing unto the Uchiha's wrist, preventing him from exposing the bottom half of his face.

"How long has it been since I what, Naruto? Since I betrayed that pathetic village, or since we last saw each other?" he smirked. The reaction he received was something that the raven haired man didn't expect, though. The blonde laughed and tightened his grip on his wrist.

"Take your pick." He spoke calmly, the amusement dancing across his face giving him away, or at least his eyes did. Sasuke had long ago removed his finger from Naruto's mask, but the blonde kept his iron grip on his wrist. Dark eyes narrowed as he snapped, using his free arm to grab the Kyuubi vessel's collar, pulling him even closer.

"What the hell is so funny!" he snarled. Naruto simply smirked from under his mask, "Maa, so easy to anger, ne Sasuke?" causing the man in front of him to growl and tighten his hold, lifting him a bit higher.

"What's with that look? It'll give you wrinkles, you know. It doesn't become of you, Sasuke, you're too…pretty."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_Baa-chan!" Naruto burst into her office completely unforeseen. Tsunade's brow twitched a bit as she scowled at either the nickname or the interruption, but that was left unknown. "What are yo-"_

"_What the hell is happening to me?" he interrupted her, gazing at his hair as he threaded his fingers through it. The Godaime sighed, "I don't know wh-"_

"_My hair is turning white for Kami's sake!" The blonde spoke as calmly as the swelling of panic would let him, staring at the pale shade of blonde bordering white colored hair as it fell in front of his face. The blonde woman merely smirked at him. Payback time. "Maybe it's a sign of old ag-"_

"_And my eyes are changing colors." he motioned towards his eyes while Tsunade twitched again, "Stop interrupting me, gaki!" she shouting but her words were ignored and lost in his rant._

"_Every time I look at myself in the mirror, my reflection flickers and changes into someone else." Naruto stopped his pacing and sighed before sitting heavily into the chair across her desk, placing his head in his hands. "What the hell is happening to me?" he whispered, voice coming out tired and wary._

"_I'm not surprised by your changes." She leaned back into her chair as Naruto stared at her, surprise evident in his eyes. "It's approaching your eighteenth birthday, isn't it?" the Slug Sannin stated more than asked, taking a scroll from her drawer and tossing it to him._

"_You're giving me my birthday present while I'm telling you about my crisis right now?" Naruto asked incredulously, holding the scroll up for emphasis._

_Annoyance flashed in her eyes, "Well, if you would sit down, shut up, and listen, you'll see why your 'present' is actually quite important in this situation."_

_Sighing at the headache that he knew was coming, the blonde reluctantly sat down. "Okay, I'm listening." _

_Nodding in satisfaction, she began, "You know the seal that is placed on your stomach by the Yondaime?" Naruto rolled his eyes, "How can I not know?"_

_She ignored him, lacing her fingers together thoughtfully. "Contrary to belief, your seal is actually made up of five separate, very complex blood seals by the Fourth himself. Each serves a different purpose, helping in making the seal function as a whole smoothly inside and out without too many problems. _

_Naruto sat contemplating this for a moment before nodding his head slowly in understanding. "So what exactly do each of these seals do?" he asked cautiously._

"_I won't get too much into the logistics of it, as I myself don't really know much about it in depth." she spoke. "To begin, the first seal is purely designed to simply keep the demon at bay. The second, which is placed on top of the first, is to make sure your chakra pathways don't reject the foreign chakra and flow as easily as possible without mixing the two entities together. If I recall, this is why you previously had such difficultly in terms of your chakra control. Now, the third seal, placed on top of the other two, poses to convert the Kyuubi's chakra into your own slowly, which should theoretically cause the fox to eventually fade out of existence. That is, only in theory, of course. Although, since the process is extremely slow; it is most likely not to happen in this lifetime if it were actually to be true. The next is the fourth seal. It is single-handedly the most crucial and important portion of the whole. It essentially keeps the other seals functioning and flowing smoothly without them actually interfering and coinciding with each other. This particular seal was different from the rest because it unfortunately required the blood of both the sealer and the one whom the seal would be placed upon."_

_Tsunade paused, momentarily gathering her thoughts, "Basically, as a result, err, well," she sighed, scratching the top of her head in irritation. "How do I put this?" _

"_Just say it already." Naruto said in a flat voice, his eyes staring up at the ceiling and his seemingly relaxed pose that clearly displayed his boredom of the situation. He didn't fool her, though. The Sannin saw how the boy would periodically glance at her with barely concealed attentive eyes and the tension and stiffness of his muscles as he rested in his "relaxed" position in his chair. No. He didn't fool her at all._

"_It generally made you how you are now." She waved her arms around trying to find the right words, but it only served to confuse the boy even more._

_Looking at her weirdly, the blonde opened his mouth. "What the hell does that mean?"_

_Sighing for the umpteenth time that day, Tsunade rubbed her temples, trying to get rid of the headache that she knew was coming. "Let's start from the beginning, then, I'm sure that you will have a clearer understanding of what I mean __**after**__ I'm done explaining." She was in no mood for his interrupting and antics right now. Although, he had been doing quite a good job in keeping his mouth shut so fa-_

"_Are you going to stare at me all day, or tell me what this has to do with all these changes." He did a motion across his person dramatically for emphasis as Tsunade felt like hitting herself over the head, thinking that she could seriously use a drink at the moment. Yeah, so much for keeping his mouth shut. A good job, indeed. _

_Sighing once again, Tsunade decided to handle the situation from a different approach. "Tell me, what do you know about seals that require the blood of both the caster and the…victim."_

_Naruto tilted his head back, closing his eyes and tapping the arm of his chair thoughtfully for a few moments. "Hmm, well, I know that if the blood should mix, it can affect the appearance of the victim and possibly even their genetic structure, but that's all I really know." he spoke, tapping his chin. "I've never actually really delved in those particular types of seals." Tsunade nodded in acceptance. It wasn't as if blood seals or seals for that matter were a highly studied art form, as it was a very complex procedure, taking years of dedication and practice to even be on a level that was remotely acceptable._

_The Fifth opened her opened, ready to explain the last seal. "The fifth and final seal, placed on top of all the others is extremely different from the other four. It doesn't require any blood at all, but does require a large amount of time, concentration, and chakra." the blonde paused for a moment. _

"_And?" Naruto leant forward, inquiring with a neutral tone, a feeling of foreboding settling in the pit of his stomach._

"_It was a master seal that finalized the other four, as the fourth seal was basically the only thing holding everything in together. The Yondaime needed another seal to keep everything in one piece. He specifically created part of the seal to act as a catalyst especially in concerns about your image." Although the feeling of anxiety only increased, the blonde couldn't help but raise an eyebrow in interest._

_Tsunade hesitated, letting out a deep breath, "The fourth seal began to change your image and after the sealing process was over, your image was unstable and would constantly flicker from one to the other. Fortunately, the Yondaime thought of a backup, which was the catalyst, but it took time to settle in. That was pretty much all we could do as the few villagers that saw this began to fear the demon had taken over, using this situation completely to their advantage."_

"_I still don't understand how my image can change like this and why."_

"_It's simple, really. The usage of both yours and the Fourth's blood together created a defensive wall like a genjutsu that adopted the image of the Yondaime. Thankfully, it didn't reconstruct or tamper with your genetic composition. The catalyst was made to merely hold until your eighteenth birthday."_

"_There's still one thing I don't understand..." his confused voice trailed off. _

_She caught on to what he was saying, speaking in a resolute manner. "No one knew except my sensei. You must know that the Third had no choice but to forge the files, stating that you were the Fourth's son. He told no one of your true heritage, or even of your fake one. People just assumed and he let them. No one knew and Sarutobi kept it that way, behind closed doors and sealed files."_

"_But why?" the blonde's voice cracked, coming out rough and hoarse. Tsunade flinched, the Hokage couldn't see the blonde's face but that one question was layered with so much hurt and betrayal that she almost regretted telling him in the first place. _

"_It was to protect you because even if it wasn't publicly announced, it was immediately presented before the council. Things were worse than we could have ever imagined, the villagers began to riot and the council used this opportunity as an opening for your execution. The forged birthright gave you immunity; the council would be unable to touch you and my sensei knew that. There was nothing else that could be done. Your appearance and the reminder that the Yondaime wouldn't use any child but his own—if he had one— was an excuse to tip the balance in our favor, and it worked."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Before he knew what happened, Naruto let go of his wrist and escaped his grip, jumping back onto the tree across from him.

"Plus, I'm not after you anymore. You're obviously a lost cause." Sasuke gritted his teeth in anger, turning to face his former teammate, eyes flashing red in the familiar sight of the infamous Sharingan. "Then what do you want, Naruto?"

"I'm hunting for a snake." he smirked. "I want Orochimaru." he declared once again staring past Sasuke as if he saw something in the distance.

"What, so I'm not good enough for you?!" he yelled, commas spinning wildly. Naruto once again smirked, and even though he actually couldn't see it, Sasuke knew it was there succeeding in angering the Uchiha even more. "You said it, not me." he replied coolly. "You were never good enough to begin with," the blonde continued, "because you are or were an avenger.

Sasuke roared in fury and charged at him not seeing the shadow forming right behind him. Naruto's eyes widened as he saw Orochimaru appear directly behind the traitor, rearing his fangs on the other side of the pale neck in which the curse seal lay.

The blonde glanced calculatedly at his surroundings quickly, standing completely still as Sasuke's approaching form closed in on him. The raven haired man pulled his fist back, swinging it forward as Naruto waited until the last moment shifting to the side slightly before catching the oncoming fist and going with the momentum provided, which brought them considerably closer. Inches between his reach, the blonde quickly backhanded the Uchiha into the trunk of the tree on which they stood.

Sinking his fangs into his skin and flesh, the Snake Sannin spoke in a sickening sweet voice with a twisted smile playing on his lips. "You're too predictable, Naruto-kun." The blonde grabbed his shoulder and shouted out in pain as Orochimaru slipped away. His eyes widened in surprise. That bastard planned this!

'There's something wrong. I don't feel any-' His train of thought stopped as his body began to tremble, knees giving way unable to hold his weight and falling on all fours. "M-my body…"

"Is completely sealing off the demon, that is, if you can handle it." Naruto weakly lifted his head, glaring at the man hatefully. "W-what the hell d-does that mean?" he spoke in a hoarse voice, gritting his teeth at the surge of pain that pain through him. He could feel the Kyuubi fading from the consciousness of his mind and it unnerved him. This was different from the last time.

Orochimaru seemed to have read his thoughts, lips stretching across his face in that mocking smile. "This seal is much more advanced than the last seal I place on you and I'm sure you noticed. It completely converts the demon's chakra into your own and we all know how much chakra the Kyuubi could possibly hold."

"A-and if I c-can't handle it?" The blonde didn't even know why he bothered to ask that stupid question that he knew the answer to.

"You die, of course. Your chakra coils will never be able to hold that amount of chakra. Your system will slowly begin to shut down, decomposing your body from the inside out." The snake's smile widened even more, tongue flickering across his lips in pleasure.

"Bastard…" Naruto choked out, not able to say any more.

"You should feel privileged," the Sannin stated, "after all, I did create this seal especially for you." once again licking his lips as he approached the younger man.

"W-what…"

"I call this my demon seal. Prepare yourself, Naruto-kun." Orochimaru leant forward, whispering the words in his ear, "this is just the beginning."

Naruto didn't have time to respond as something seemed to have snapped inside of him. The blonde screamed as red chakra was pulled out forcefully leaking through the seal and swiveled around him and with it emerged his own, fighting for dominance in his own body. He didn't know how long he had been like this, feeling his body literally being torn apart from the inside out, his system ripping and tearing to gain control.

The mass of chakra was huge, completely burning and destroying everything in the area within a two mile radius and growing large enough that Sasuke and the snake weren't even able to visibly see the jinchuuriki anymore from the onslaught that was created.

"Orochimaru!"

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," the Snake Sannin calmly turned to the Uchiha with that smile of his, "how wonderful to see you."

"Don't speak to me like that!" Sasuke yelled, Sharingan spinning fiercely as he approached the Sannin cautiously. "What the hell was that?!" Orochimaru's wickedly sick smile just stretched even more across his abnormal features, tongue peeking out.

"I simply have no need for you anymore. I merely kept you to drop the vessel's guard, seemed like the only thing you'd be good for now. You're really of no use to me anymore."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

_Tsunade looked up from her desk, brown eyes landing on the blonde. "What? Could you repeat that again? I missed it." she spoke, a smugness building up inside her, and Tsunade was pretty sure that it was present on her face, as well, from the way Naruto was looking at her with a somewhat painful expression. It definitely must have wounded his ego, even if it was just a little._

"_The files," the blonde repeated, consequently not meeting her eyes, "do you still have them?"_

"_Hmm…I don't know." The busty blonde tapped her chin, a sarcastic note audible in her voice. "I seem to recall a certain boisterous, bodacious blonde telling me to dispose of those particular files, don't you?"_

_Naruto sighed, running his hand through his hair. "Please, baa-chan." he pleaded in a desperate tone. "Tell me you still have them, please."_

_Now it was time for the Godaime to sigh. "You're too impulsive for your own good, gaki." The other blonde perked up noticeably, eyes brightening hopefully. "That means you still have it, right? Please say yes!"_

"_Alright, alright, calm yourself already. Yes, I still happen to have the files, lucky for you, since I'm not irresponsible like some people I know." Naruto objected in offense but simpered down as the woman took out a file that he could only assume was his and opening it. "Ah, here's your file."_

_Naruto sat impatiently in his seat leaning forward, eager to learn more as a thought came to him. "Hey, I've never thought of it before, but doesn't this mean that my name isn't-"_

"_Isn't really Uzumaki Naruto or Namikaze Naruto, for that matter? Then yes, you would be correct."_

_The blonde creased his brows together, trying to process all the information he had received and now all this. "What's my real name then?" _

"_Shinji Keita."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

He was dying.

The blonde had been able to sustain the curse to a minimum, but his connection to his demon was completely cut off and with it was most of his chakra. Like the curse seal, almost any form of chakra activated it, but Naruto was able to temporary seal the components or at least a very small portion. He neither had the preparation of materials nor time, not to mention the space to seal the marking properly. The blue eyed man made it work, though, well not really. Fighting alongside Sasuke and his team was a foreign feeling that he didn't find comfort in anymore. And in the end, it didn't even matter or make a difference.

He was dying and Naruto knew it and there was nothing he could do about it. The snake was finally dead, but the ongoing tyranny that the other villages—his village was suffering. Naruto gazed through half-lidded eyes finding the unrecognizable, disfigured and truly hideous and repulsive form of what used to be the former Sannin. What Naruto hated the most was that even though Orochimaru was long dead and permanently gone, he still won, dying with a hint of martyrdom even if the sick bastard didn't expect to actually die. A sad, mocking smile spread across Naruto's face as he took in the wreckage around his presumed deathbed. It was always the same, wasn't it? The ones who win are portrayed as the good guys and those dying in battle for that side are said to be heroes—warriors and martyrs, but there was no glory in war. There was no glory in killing people. There was nothing glorious about it. The Kyuubi vessel wouldn't die as a martyr—as a hero or anything worthy of dying for. He would die as nothing, just as he knew he would somewhere in the back of his mind. It was absolutely hopeless and with Sasuke dying next to him, it was actually kind of ironic in that funny, bittersweet kind of way, but, really, no one was laughing.

There was just so much the blonde wanted to say to the raven haired man. To proclaim his loathing and hatred of the other's being, the arrogance and cockiness of his attitude, the love and pain he felt for his brother, friend, rival, comrade, enemy, traitor and so much more; to proclaim everything but he couldn't.

He was dying. The blonde thought that dying would feel like his spirit would lift up and ascend to some heavenly plane, but maybe that came after the icy hands of death ripped his soul from his physical form. He could feel the numbing of his body; the chilly, cold touch of death's grip seeped into the very core of his being and making Naruto feel empty and hollow, eyes blanking as his life faded. This was it.

"N-Nar-ut-to…" Was that Sasuke? His cerulean eyes opened tiredly, straining to keep open, 'When did he move?' he thought as he fixed his eyes of the blurry figure that hovered above him. Oh, right. He couldn't feel his body anymore, he couldn't feel anything. His mind was shutting down and the blonde's vision began to grow dark, blinking in and out and starting to cave in from the edges. Death really was overrated, it seems. To die like this…

Sasuke lay against him, chest on his own and struggling to breathe. The thought that the traitor looked perfect, as he always did fleeted through his incoherent mind, even when he was covered in blood and other unmentionable substances. Naruto could feel the genjutsu that covered his identity breaking. The surprise that flickered on the Uchiha's face pretty much gave his assumptions an answer. It wasn't completely broken, as least. He closed his eyes briefly, focusing the rest of what little he had of his remaining energy and feeling the jutsu stabilize weakly enough to stay put even if it was for a short time. Sasuke knew him as Naruto. Even if he changed exponentially over the years, he was generally the same blue eyed, blonde that the raven haired man was teamed up with, fought and protected for, and in the end eventually betrayed. He was known and seen as Naruto in Sasuke's eyes and he would also die as Naruto. He wouldn't let the other man see him as anyone else.

Sasuke's eyes bled into that familiar red of the Sharingan, changing and molding into something else completely. When had Sasuke achieved the Mangekyou Sharingan? It didn't look like the original that Itachi used. Perhaps Sasuke was able to create his own like Uchiha Madara and his brother, Kakashi, and Itachi did? The real question, though, was how?

It was one of the strangest things that the blonde had ever seen. The commas all connected and rounded at the edges that only the eyes of a Sharingan user had. The blonde vaguely thought that it resembled a three petaled flower as rings circled around and through it. It was mesmerizing in that sort of frighteningly beautiful kind of way that would have sent chills down Naruto's spine and probably did. Not that it mattered, though, he couldn't feel anything anyway.

"Take this chance, Naruto." Chance? What chance? What was the man spouting on about? He was dying for Kami's sake. And suddenly, his vision was blocked by those stunningly cursed eyes. 'Wha-?'

He was falling. At least he thought he was as the darkness started to encircle his vision with the abstract figure of Sasuke fading and growing further in distance, or that was what it seemed to be like. Naruto couldn't tell anymore, not trusting the delusions of his mind.

And then, there was nothing but black.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Wow! This chapter is so long and took me forever because I couldn't decide how to portray everything, but I'm personally pretty proud of it! Hahaha…I hope you guys liked it and hopefully I'm able to keep up with my other stories as well. I know that I probably won't update often but the chapters will be pretty long so I hope that's okay. Tell me what you think and please review!

Any comments are appreciated unless they are disrespectful and such. Hopefully, it won't come to that, though. …well…that's all I suppose…sorry if things are a little sketchy but it will become clear in later chapters. Don't hesitate to ask questions and opinions and ideas are also appreciated too! Please Review!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	2. Chapter 1

Author's Notes: I really hope you like it. You can give suggestions on the storyline and I'll definitely consider what you guys put! Hopefully, the updates won't be too slow and I'll keep up if I decide to continue this story. It's really all up to you guys out there! Don't forget to review your thoughts. Please review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto.

**Mangekyou's Blessing**

Chapter 1

Waking up on a forest floor wasn't exactly the ideal place to sleep—if you call death sleep— especially when there was one hell of a sharp rock poking at your backside. Cracking his eyes open, Naruto groaned out loudly, several of his muscles twitching and aching mercilessly when he tried to move. "What happened?" he wondered, eyes widening at the sound of his voice. Scrambling into a sitting position despite his pain, he gazed down at his body, a sting of mental curses flowing furiously through his mind as he took in the small hands, small feet, and just small everything! The white haired boy vaguely registered in his head that he held no injuries of any kind on his form, busy with noticing something else as his mind caught up with him. He was a bloody kid! And what was worse was that he wasn't only a brat, the genjutsu for his disguise had broken and he definitely didn't have enough chakra to perform that kind of jutsu, let alone a constant one.

He never really took the time to look at his real appearance back then so he obviously didn't quite know how he looked now. His hair was about the same length as before, mildly tame but not, giving him a vintage of just waking up from bed. Naruto's white hair was the color of pure snow, windswept to the side and framing his delicately structured, but well chiseled face innocently. His skin lost his original tan with the boy now sporting a much paler tone that gave him a healthy glow accompanied only by his snowy hair, as well. His eyes darkened into a midnight blue that shone brightly from his white hair and pale complexion. He sighed, looking down at his body and seeing it clothed in a simple long-sleeved navy blue shirt and black pants that went to his calves with his ankles wrapped in bandages and sandals on his feet. Naruto digested that he was about six or seven years old given from his small stature and short form. This was not good, definitely not good at all.

His thoughts quickly traveled to Orochimaru, pulling a small growl from his throat. 'That bastard played us the fool! I can't believe we fell for it for so long! He must have changed his plans for the body switch and kept the act in order to gain advantage.' His mind wove around all the possibilities, 'That bastard, I can't wait to kill him myself.'

Pushing himself up and using the tree for support, he winced at the cracking of his bones. He was near the border of the east gate of Konoha, he was sure of it. Suppressing his mental screams that the wall _should _be in ruins and that the forest inside and outside of the border was supposed to be barren, he bit his tongue in an effort to control himself, ignoring the metallic taste of his blood. It was a good thing that he was inside rather an out, though. 'But, how did I get there?' he thought, regretting it as an onslaught of other questions that he so skillfully repressed surfaced.

Shaking his head, Naruto tried to clear his thoughts out, but it didn't really work out. Sighing in frustration, he rubbed the side of his head, 'What do I do now?' Turning toward the village, he headed through the forest, strongly restraining his physical and mental urges to hit the closest object and curse out loud every time he saw something he was sure had been destroyed or damaged during the war. He would contain himself because whatever sick game this was, he was better than that. Nothing would get under his skin.

As Naruto walked around the village, he didn't recognize or see a single familiar face in sight. It was strange and unnerving as he felt panic begin to swell in his chest with each unrecognizable face that he passed. What the hell kind of twisted jutsu was this?! The aura of hate and fear had been lifted. The blonde wasn't really in his right mind to think if he was happy or sad about that particular fact right now. There was no one—no one that he had once known. He was alone…just as he'd always been. Naruto finally thought he had escaped the cold heartache that was loneliness, but he knew that it was a lie he presented not only to others but himself, as well. He would be alone until the day he died and all previous thoughts didn't lessen the pain of his heart and soul. No one understood him like he wanted them to, not even Gaara understood what he wanted and needed. The Kazekage was a good friend and all, who was in a very similar position, but he had the love of a family and even his village now. There was always that voice in the back of his mind that reminded him that maybe he was meant for this, to be born like this and perhaps he was. He had always been alone until he met his few precious people and they became something more, something his heart treasured and loved even though they may not have felt that exact same way. That was just the way he was, though.

Before, he made sure—took the necessary precautions to make himself unreachable so that no one could hurt him, but those very few had somehow carved and broken their way through his mask, his ultimate defense, did because they saw his hurt, saw his demons—literally and figuratively—and did not turn away. It was a time where he had wondered how and when he became reachable not by their standards but his. He knew, though. He knew that no matter how many people accepted him as he was; he would still live the life on an empty road because they would never truly understand his loneliness and the pain that he suffered. They couldn't love him fully and unrequitedly like he loved them. Shaking his head to clear his thoughts didn't shake the mood of depression and anxiety that clouded his heart and filled his mind. It didn't matter anymore anyway because once again he was alone, and this time no one could or would reach him. He would make sure of it.

Looking up, the blonde found that his feet had taken him to the park, or more specifically the swing that he used to sit on as a child when he used to watch the other kids run around and play or spend time with their families while he sat there watching as an observer. He was glad to find that it was still there in the exact same area as it had always been. It was something familiar to him that he held with the smallest bit of sentimental value, and without it, it would have been lonely and heartbreaking. It sounded stupid, even in his own mind but that was how it was. Sighing heavily, Naruto slipped off his sandals and plopped down onto the seat with as much gracefulness as his tired form could muster, which wasn't saying much at all at the moment.

'Damn the Uchiha, damn his eyes, damn this life,' white hair tousled and covering his face as the revelations of what happened sunk in, 'just…damn…' He sighed heavily, shoulders slumping in defeat, 'Damn.'

'What the hell am I going to do now?' Naruto moped, keeping his head down and staring at nothing in particular while running his feet through the grass, lightly swaying back and forth on his swing. He didn't notice someone approaching him until a shadow was cast over him, and cloth blocked his vision. Blinking in confusion, Naruto tilted his head up and locked eyes with someone he thought he would never see outside death. The boy was almost like a carbon copy of how he looked as a kid. It was the Yondaime. 'The hell?' Naruto's eyes widened momentarily before he quickly sealed his emotions with a practiced ease and looked at the other with a neutral face. Naruto had a limit and he was definitely pushing it. 'The damn fox has a hell of a lot of explaining to do, damnit!'

"Hi! What's your name? I'm Namikaze Minato."

Naruto stared at the boy before him with concealed surprise, his wide eyed roaming over the other's boyish face and taking in that innocent and happy aura surrounding him.

'Too innocent,' the blonde thought to himself. As he looked over the other, he suddenly realized just how annoyingly alike they used to really look. How could anyone possibly miss it? It really came as no surprise with the seal and all but it always proved to amaze him. 'We could've been brothers.' There had been little differences of course, between the two and Naruto had to wonder if he was approached merely because of the distinct similarities. Shaking his head at the absurdity of it all, Naruto reminded himself that he wasn't nearly the splitting image of the Fourth Hokage anymore.

He must have been staring for quite a while, realizing this when he noticed the other's boy's smile slowly start to falter. Naruto's mind raced to find a name—any name, which unfortunately lead to him blurting out his birth name rather unexpectedly. "Shinji, Shinji Keita." Argh! He could've smacked himself, but that would have just made him look retarded, and he only did that when no one was looking…most of the time.

The boy's face blossomed into a beautiful smile and Keita couldn't help but do the same. Even he was surprised how genuine and natural it came upon his face. The white haired boy didn't really want to think about the things that were justly weighing heavily on his mind at the moment…or at all, but we can't always get what we want, can we? That's just too bad.

A brief uncomfortable silence passed between the two until Keita decided to break it, his curiosity getting the better of him—and the fact that it was getting kind of irritating with the boy standing there staring at him. "Did you need something?" He asked, glancing at the other blonde who suddenly began to look uneasy.

Shifting his weight nervously at the intense gaze, "I-I...," Minato stuttered, bowing his head and suddenly finding a spot on the floor completely fascinating. Keita's deep navy eyes softened because although he may be a child in body, he certainty wasn't one in spirit, and as such, he saw himself as older and definitely more mentally mature while the boy before him was a child in his eyes. He reached out attentively with a tenderness that was held only for a child, outstretching his hand and placing his fingers under the boy's chin and slowly lifting it for those cerulean eyes that he knew so much—as they had once been his—to meet his own.

Keita tilted his head a bit in inquiry, "You…" he trailed off, waiting for his unspoken question to be answered. The other blonde wasn't paying attention though, eyes glazed over mesmerized by those eyes—eyes so deep that they never seemed to end. It was almost as if time had stopped. 'He…he's so beautiful.' blinking out of his thoughts, Minato blushed when he found the other boy gazing at him with a raised brow, amusement dancing in his eyes. It had nothing to do with the way that this Keita person was still holding him. Really, absolutely nothing at all.

Keita took this time to also study the supposedly strongest Hokage to grace the village of Konoha. Maybe there were more differences now that he was looking at the boy closer. Whereas Keita's hair as Naruto had once been bright sunshine blonde to an almost blind proportion, the Fourth had a more of a golden blonde tint, but his eyes were pretty much the same as his were before.

"W-would you like to p-play with m-me?"

Ah. Children can be so unpredictable and surprisingly simplistic sometimes. He should have suspected something like that. "For today," Keita spoke softly, watching Minato's head snap up, showing wide eyes filled with amazed shock and glistening with incomprehensible happiness. "Just for today," he repeated with a whispered confirmation.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Namikaze Kazumasa was by no means a very diplomatic man, but he looked and played every part of a regal, dignified clan leader that he was. Kazumasa was a ruggedly handsome man, tall and broad shouldered with a firm body structure, and the bangs of his sandy blonde hair framing his strong, finely chiseled face. Most of his hair was tied in a short ponytail, revealing the same intense cerulean eyes that made him a feared and well respected adversary in both ninja rank and political stature. He usually wore a traditional kimono covered by a formal haori over it, complimenting his aura of modest dignity and leading confidence. He was a patient man that was protective over his family and clan but sometimes…

"Oji-sama!" A shout rang through the compound as said person, Namikaze Kazumasa, inwardly sighed into the papers that he currently held in his hands and were also littered all across his desk, as well. He had no time for this. There was just no break when it came to that boy. He ignored the suddenly slam of his door as a brown haired teenager bounced in enthusiastically chattering continuously with too-fast-to-catch-words, noting that he could faintly hear a couple of voices shouting their disapproval at the rude and unexpected intrusion.

This time he bowed his head in exhaustion and outwardly sighed, too, just for good measure before he covered the boy's mouth to make his talking stop, but it took him a while to realize that the elder couldn't hear him with his hand positioned there. Kazumasa took a deep breath, "Koji, you are a grown young man and also now a chuunin." he stated, shaking his head exasperatedly. "When are you going to start acting like it?"

"Uh…when I'm old like you?" The "old man" twitched at the jab at his age before rolling his eyes. He was hopeless, he thought, deciding to voice it, as well. "You're hopeless."

Koji feigned hurt, placing a hand over his heart dramatically, but his bright, excited eyes completely contradicted and ruined the whole act, not that it was really believable to begin with, though. The boy was never very good at keep his emotions in check anyway.

"Don't you want to know what I have to tell you?" The boy asked eagerly, jumping up and down barely able to hold his excitement.

Sighing, Kazumasa raised a finely sculpted brow as he watched his nephew bounce around the room like a five year old. "That really depends now, doesn't it?"

"But it's important!" Whining really didn't help the situation at all. Kazumasa just gave up. His nephew would most likely just end up bugging him about it later anyway.

"Okay, okay. Could you repeat what you were saying then," Koji eagerly opened his mouth again but was cut off before it happened, "and _slowly_ this time, Koji. I don't have the unique ability of picking out words from the river that flows out of your mouth." The chuunin just pouted for a bit but got over it soon enough so he could tell his supposedly important news.

"Well, I decided that today I would follow and spy on-"

Kazumasa felt like hitting himself on the head, covering his ears, and immaturely begin shouting, "Lalalalala…I'm not listening!" over and over again, barely containing himself. Why did he always fall for it every time Koji claims what he has to say is "important?"

"On second thought, do I even _want_ to know?" He made sure to stress that word out so that not even the brunette could miss the hint, not that he ever did, and he just ended up usually ignoring it anyway.

"I should hope so." The boy looked up thoughtfully, a grin stretching across his face. "It's about chibi."

Kazumasa lifted his head to look at him, eyes reflecting his surprise for a second, and then sharpening a moment later. "What about Minato?" he asked cautiously.

If it was possible, Koji's grin widened even more. "He made a little friend today," he spoke in a sing-song voice, watching for his uncle's reaction to what he said. He was satisfied to see the normally composed, laidback man staring at him, rigid in shock that clearly showed upon his face.

"A friend?" He whispered almost as if he were whispering it to himself.

The brown haired teenager nodded happily, "Hai…it was interesting. Not like anyone that I've felt before. There's just something about that kid that I can't really grasp."

He realized that Koji used the word "felt" quite tactfully and stored it for later use, not wanting to question about it now, "Is he a danger?"

"I can't tell you that. All I've seen them do is play," Koji shrugged, "there's just something about him, something special, I guess you could call it." deciding to add that as an afterthought.

Kazumasa smiled easily, chuckling at the implication. "Most children are," he spoke out but paused in thought, "when they're not tormenting people, at least."

"For the record, that's like most of the time," the brunette stated matter-a-factly, "but that's not what I meant. I think the only way you would understand is if you saw him and were near him."

The elder didn't speak for a while, but nodded, "I see," he spoke slowly. Koji's eyes widened waiting for a bigger type of reaction, motioning for him to continue but it never came. "You see what?" He asked impatiently, surprised when his uncle looked up at him seriously, words coming out brisk and firm. "I see that you really need to get a hobby-"

Taken aback, his jaw dropped in shock, "Eh?"

Kazumasa just continued as if he didn't hear a thing, "because following and spying on your cousin is no way to spend yours and unknowingly my son's time, as well. It's a waste, and you can spend that time training and doing other productive things." he stated, leaving Koji no room for arguments. "It's actually also kind of creepy, too."

Koji gave him a flat look. "I would think that that's the first thing you would mention." The elder man gave a small shrug in response. "Yes, well, I would also think that you would have a life as well," he drawled, looking lazily at his nephew through half-lidded eyes, "but apparently we can't always be right, can we?"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"It's getting late." Keita stated, looking at the height of the sun over the horizon. It would be setting soon in a little over an hour. "I think that you should head home."

Receiving no reply, he tipped his head to the side, eyes shining questionably. "Hey, is something the matter?"

Shuffling his feet, the blonde turned to him. "Can we play again tomorrow, Keita?" Minato asked hesitantly, gazing up at the white haired boy with his head slightly bowed from his seat on the grass covered floor fidgeting nervously. Smiling sadly, Keita looked away shaking his head slowly from side to side, "I don't think that I can. It was just for today." he spoke softly. "I'm sorry."

Keita turned his eyes elsewhere; he never did like it when children cried. Walking a few paces away, the blue eyed boy spotted something and bent down, plucking a flower from the forest floor and gingerly fingering the silky smooth petals. Turning back, he spoke, "Please don't cry," he whispered, lifting the boy's face with his left hand and using the pad of his thumb to wipe the tears away while Minato sloppily brushed the right side with his sleeve before harshly slapping his hand away in anger. "Don't cry because of me."

"I'm not!" the blonde shouted, swiping away the tears that ran down his face with his sleeves. "You're my first friend. I don't understand. Why are you leaving me?"

"I'm not leaving you."

"Yes! Yes, you are!" he cried. "Don't lie to me!"

Kneeling before the boy, Keita spoke in an even voice, eyes glinting with firm determination. "I would never lie to you on purpose if I knew it would hurt you."

Minato just curled up, seeming every bit of the small child that he was, if not smaller. "Then why?" he whispered.

The white haired boy said nothing. Instead, choosing to twist and twirl the flower between his fingers. It truly was stunning with the countless white petals swirling beautifully around the stem in an organized frilly-like fashioned and showered in pink, making a perfect combination of white with the barest hint of pink. "You see this flower, Minato?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," Minato nodded reluctantly, "but flowers are for girls." he huffed out, crossing his arms over his chest and frowning stubbornly.

Keita smiled lightly, but it didn't quite reach his eyes, his sadness reflecting in them. "I like flowers." he claimed proudly. "Does that make me a girl?" he asked, amusement over shining the curiosity dancing across his face. He lowered his eyes back down at the flower, he fingered it thoughtfully. "Generally, this beauty right here is called a Camellia." taking in the sweet fragrance, the white haired boy smiled as the silky, soft petals brushed against his nose. "What's special about this flower is what it represents."

Minato gazed up at the flower, then back to his face. "Represents?" cocking his head to the side, he asked in a bemused voice.

"Ah," Keita breathed out in agreement, "it represents fate and destiny." smiling at the look of interest peeking on the boy's face. "So, if we are truly meant to meet again some day, then fate will decide if we will, you see?" Minato just stared at him strangely before nodding a bit in a confused manner. Keita's smile thinned out into a line as he lifted his head up towards the cloudless sky. "I'm not one to believe in fate or destiny, though, but I do believe that it connects and intertwines ours, and the villagers and everyone's lives together in ways that are a complete mystery to me and beyond my understanding." he stated, closing his eyes and feeling the wind brush his hair and sweep past his face. "That, I do believe with all my heart and soul."

They stayed like that, in a comfortable serene silence that carried the understanding between them—the promise, even if Minato didn't quite grasp it; he knew the significance that this moment held. "Do you understand?"

The blonde shook his head negatively, disappointment and shame showing on his face. Keita just smiled that small, calm smile of his that held nothing, said nothing and perhaps even meant nothing, looking blank of anything in Minato's eyes. "Perhaps, some day you will." The white haired boy leaned forward, hugging the child close. "Until we meet again…" his breath tickling the other's ear as the blonde tightly fisted the back of his friend's shirt, burying his head into his shoulder and feeling that familiar sting at the back of his eyes. "Please…"

Then, everything went black.

_Keita…_

…_don't leave me…_

Keita sighed heavily as he detangled himself from the boy, removing his fingers from pressure point on his neck and setting him carefully against the bark of a tree. He made sure the future Kage was comfortable, gingerly wrapping Minato's little hands around the flower, and then headed off. He only looked back once before disappearing from sight.

"We will meet again…"

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'Where could he possibly be?'

Kazumasa hurried through the village, his feet quickly taking him to the park with as much dignity as he would allow. He normally didn't care much for appearances, unfortunately as the head clan leader, his actions not only reflected and spoke for himself but his whole clan, as well. _Sure_, no pressure there.

"Minato!" he yelled across the clearing, cupping his around his mouth to project his voice. "Why could he be?" whispering to himself. "Minato!" The clan leader now regretted not sending anyone out to search for his child, but really, his son should know better!

Dread began to seep into his body as Kazumasa quickly headed toward the forest. It was the only possible place that his son could be, as least he hoped so. It had to be. Soon after, the man saw a flash of bright blonde hair, swiftly heading in that direction and picking up his pace as his heart beat faster against his chest.

Upon arriving at his destination, he stopped short a few feet away, sighing in relief as he saw his son peacefully sleeping at the base of a tree. Gingerly picking the boy up did nothing to prevent his awakening, as the blonde blinked the sleep out of his daze-filled eyes, rubbing them with his fists over his father's shoulder and looking out into the distance as recent events caught up to him. "Otousan?"

"Ah," he responded, still holding his son tightly against him, his anger seeping away quickly. He didn't have the heart to scold the blonde right now, happy that he was safe and to be holding him. "You worried me, little one." Minato buried his head into his shoulder, seeking comfort as the boy wrapped his small arms around his father's neck grasping the flower tightly.

"He left," the boy whispered, "and it hurts, tousan."

Minato turned slightly, looking into the other blonde's eyes, "Why did he leave me?" he asked in a small, uncertain tone that was laced with confusion. Before Kazumasa could respond, Minato began to voice his bewilderment.

The clan leader didn't know what to say, softly brushing the boy's silky blonde hair back repeatedly in soothing motions. "I don't know."

"I didn't understand what he was saying, but he said that this flower means fate and destiny and that if we are supposed to meet again than we would," the boy spoke in a questioning voice, "I think."

"Do you think we'll see each other again, tousan?"

Kazumasa gazed at his son, rolling the possible answers in his mind thoughtfully. "Yes, you just might one day."

Minato turned to his father, innocent cerulean eyes wide with excitement and curiosity, looking for a trace of doubt or hesitation on the blonde's face. "Really? You're sure?"

"Yes," The man smiled as he lowered his face slowly, whispering into his son's golden hair tenderly. "I'm sure you'll meet again."

…_We will meet again…_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Keita felt the guilt nagging at the back of his mind as he walked away from the boy, but it had to be done. The white haired boy needed to figure everything out before he could make any irrational decisions. His mind was a mess and the emotional scars he bore didn't help with the situation either. "I doubt he'll even remember me." He whispered to himself as he battled with his conflicted emotions.

Keita didn't know if he felt relieved or disappointed with what he spoke but quickly banished the thoughts from his mind. Speaking in a neutral voice, remembering to keep himself in check. As long as he didn't think of it, then he _technically_ wasn't in denial. Well, that's how he saw it anyways, and no one was here to tell him different. That meant he was right, right?

"**Wrong."**

He blinked in confusion for a moment, 'Kyuu?'

"**You seriously have some mental problems, you know that?" **the demon spoke flatly as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

'Tell me something I don't know.' sitting on the forest floor, staring at nothing in particular. 'But I wonder whose fault it could _possibly_ be.' Keita thought sarcastically, directing all his irritation to the fox.

"**Hey, hey, don't blame all of your internal issues on me," the demon spoke. "Even if I wish that I could be." **The fox claimed in an unconvincing voice.

Keita smiled, purposefully talking in a baby voice, 'Would it make you feel better if I told you that you were?'

"**Well, maybe a little bit."**

'Geez, you're such a baby!' He laughed, pretty much able to see Kyuubi pouting in his little self-induced corner. After a moment, the fox straightened himself, body tense and stiff. **"Kit," **he spoke, knowing the boy could feel the sudden tension, **"we need to talk."**

Keita gazed up at the demon lord, his unwavering stare meeting those of the Kyuubi, momentarily taking in the fox's large structure and menacing presence that demanded nothing short of idolizing respect. His red, crimson blood eyes boring into his own as the white haired boy gave a slow nod in acknowledgement and half acceptance. "Yes. I suppose we do, don't we?"

"**Come, it is something we need to speak of up close."**

He nodded in agreement even though he was still awake to the real world, getting into a comfortable position for his meditation. He saw the grass beneath his feet as he closed his eyes and the next thing he saw was the all too familiar place that resembled a hall of dripping sewers, shadows encompassing the walls, and water pooling at his feet that left a dank and hollow feel in the pit of his stomach. Keita lifted his head, midnight blue eyes landing on the Kyuubi questionably with happiness swirling beneath its depths. "We haven't seen this background in quite a while, ne Kyuu?" The demon looked the same as ever, with his massive stature and nine tails, menacing fangs, piercing crimson eyes and overbearing aura of power and authority that could only belong to that of a demon lord.

Kyuubi just sighed, **"Your mindscape returned to its original format when you were…detained."** The white haired boy cocked his head slightly to the side before nodding. The landscape seemed to bend and mold out of fabrication, eventually settling on a backdrop of a forest.

Keita turned to the fox with his brow raised, "So?"

The demon stared at the boy for a while, contemplating what he was about reveal to his vessel. **"Kit, we have a bit of a problem."**

His other brow quickly rose, following the first. "Care to elaborate?"

"**Until we can come up with a solution, you'll never be able to return to your original plane."** He stated bluntly in a well practiced neutral tone.

Keita narrowed his eyes, mouth thinning unhappily. "What do you mean by, 'until we come up with a solution'?"

"**The only way to return is through your own doing. I have no way of helping you. The other human's ability is a tricky skill that has to be taken care of delicately or else unwanted circumstances may occur in this delicate situation."**

"I'm still not quite following your train of thought."

"**The Mangekyou Sharingan is capable of doing many unforeseen things."** the fox stated, flicking his tails in a show of his agitation. **"Like your useless silver haired sensei, who was able to make a target literally disappear—for lack of a better word—into a portal to another dimension, the Uchiha was also able to create his own, as well."**

Keita said nothing in return. His eyes closed off to the world as he took in the new information. Kyuubi knew he was listening as the boy's only indication of so was the constant clenching and unclenching of his fists. The fox continued unhindered after a long pause, with the boy giving no sign of objection. **"As I'm sure you've figured out, the brat sent you back whether he knew what he was doing or not."**

"Did he send me back in time or to another world completely?" The demon snapped his eyes over to him, eyes sharply roving over the snowy haired figure. **"The explanations and logistics of it are quite complex and intricate in its standing to explain."**

"Then come up with an unpretentious description to describe to me this 'complex and intricate' explanation." Keita jeered quietly coldly, his midnight blue eyes darkening. The demon glared back, meeting the boy's eyes evenly with his tails swinging in angered fury. **"You know nothing, so don't demand information of me, human."** the fox hissed, baring his fangs threateningly.

He gazed up at the demon calculatingly, leveling him up before sighing in defeat and giving up as he saw no other way to gather the information he needed. "Look, Kyuu, I'm sorry, okay? I…I just…" Keita sighed again, nervously running a shaky hand through his hair. He paced a bit in front of his resident, finally coming to a stop and trying to come up with something to say.

The fox watched him all the while, letting the silence between them stretch before continuing as if nothing happened. Keita sent him a small smile, seeing the forgiveness that the demon lord offered him.** "As it does seem that you have been sent back in time, it is only partially true. When the Uchiha used his doujutsu on you, he sent you through a portal that did send you back in time, but as the world you were originally from can't just disappear or be erased from the universal plane or space time continuum, another world was created as a result. It is what you mortals would call a parallel universe."**

Keita furrowed his brows together, slight confusion overruling the fear and panic that reflected in his eyes. "If what you say is true, then doesn't something need to be different if this was a parallel universe?"

"**Yes, there is supposedly always something that will or is different in each one these worlds. It is clearly impossible for a being to coexist in the same time plane. So, you can just envision the contrasts that the future will hold, can't you?"** the fox gazed at Keita from the corner of his eye.

The boy's mouth flapped open a few times before snapping it shut in shock. His mind racing through all the possibilities of there being no demon attack, no destruction or loss of valuable shinobi and families, no hate, no glares and most of all no Uzumaki Naruto. "So, that means this world that we're in will ultimately turn out differently in the end."

"**Of course, you may not realize it, Kit, but it has already begun."**

Keita looked up at him with a flabbergasted expression upon his face that made the fox want to laugh, "What? What do you mean that--how?"

"**You."**

If possible, blue eyes grew wider, mouth parted in absolute shock, only one word running through his mind and slipping past his lips that described the situation perfectly.

"Shit."

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Minato gasped, shooting up from his bed, breathing heavily and clutching the front of his shirt. 'It was that dream again.' he thought as he turned his head to stare out his window overlooking the village. "It's been three years since that day," his voice whispered softly. The light was barely up above the blanket of buildings and trees. The blonde closed his eyes briefly, turning slowly away from the sight and rising from his seat to prepare for the day in relaxed movements.

'No, not a dream,' he thought quietly, 'never a dream, but a memory.'

Minato paused in the doorway and glanced back, eyes drifting from the window then to the flowers that stood proudly within the vase at his bedside. 'Do you remember, Keita?'

"Something feels wrong." He closed his eyes again. "No. Not wrong, but different." turning his eyes away and resuming his morning duties. 'Something's going to happen today.' The blonde's cerulean eyes gleamed, narrowing in thought. 'I can feel it.'

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Well, this chapter hardly took any work at all probably because it was actually part of the prologue but I separated them to make it shorter. Ha! It feels good to do nothing…hahah…nah, it actually took a lot of revisions and work so anyways…I hope you enjoyed it and please tell me what you think and if you have any suggestions to give! Your reviews will help me decide if I want to keep going on with this story. The next chapter will probably skip a few years but that's all I'm going to tell you!

Please Review!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


	3. Chapter 2

Author's Notes: *sigh* It has been a while, hasn't it? It's been so tiresome!! Sorry for the long wait and everything. As sad as I am to say it, my motivation and interest to write in any of my stories has slowed down quite significantly. I have so many ideas but I just don't know how to write it down and my lack of enthusiasm doesn't really help the situation either. Please forgive me!! I'll try the best I can! =]

**Mangekyou's Blessing**

Chapter 2

"_You love your family very much, don't you?"_

"_Of course! Don't you?"_

"…_I don't know."_

Cerulean eyes slowly blinked open. 'Huh,' an inward mumble that came out sounding like something between a grunt and a bored laugh. His sleep induced mind clearing up bit by bit as the blonde stayed in the exact same position he woke up in, not even moving an inch out of place.

'It's been three years.'

It had been three years since that day, but Minato remembered it. It seemed to blur and fade and sometimes, and the blonde would forget the series of events that led to and followed after, but there was one thing that he would never forget and that was that boy. Minato made sure that he wouldn't be forgotten and remembered every word that he spoke.

Funny thing was that, he couldn't even remember the boy's name. He couldn't even conjure a vague picture of the little boy he had met anymore.

He didn't know why, but he always had a Camellia by his bedside since the meeting to prove—he didn't know what he wanted to prove. To keep his memory alive or perhaps, to show that the event happened and that it was all real—that the boy was real. He knew his father thought it was a bit strange but the man never spoke anything of it, so Minato would do the same and return the favor of unspoken understanding.

His mother, though, confused the blonde greatly with her odd reactions. She would often squeal and let out something along the lines of, "Isn't that the sweetest thing," then turn and scold Kazuamsa on why he wasn't as sensitive and sweet as her little boy with a, "Why don't you do something like that for me, Kazumasa?"

Then, his father usually send the blonde haired boy a mock glare, ruffling his hair in expense for his troubles while mumbling out a pathetic excuse in the process. "What are you talking about, Nanako?"

He would then routinely pout right after his excuse, occasionally inserting a sad show of whining here and there. "Minato gained his sweetness and sensitivity from yours truly, your handsome and loving husband."

…Yeah, right.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Minato stood in front of his classroom door, making no move to open it as he sighed. The first day of the new year and he could already feel the uneasiness creeping up his spine. Sliding the door open, Minato was unnoticed as a bombard of noise assaulted his ears with his classmates running around the room and talking incessantly. Maybe he would finally be overlooked, but it seemed that luck wasn't on his side today either. It seemed that a certain brown haired lazy boy noticed the familiar head of his blonde haired, blue-eyed friend and wasn't afraid to express it, much to Minato's dismay.

He watched in horror as the boy leisurely raised a hand in welcoming, "Yo, Minato." The greeting barely made it past the chaos and to Minato's ears, but everyone else seemed to hear it loud and clear, and in the process also managing to somehow silence all activity in the room, as well.

'He did that on purpose! Damn you, Shikaku!' That was the only thing that Minato could think of before he was bombarded with crazy fangirls, each fighting for his attention. He felt like crying on the inside, of course and fortunately for him, in the midst of it all, the blonde was able to skillfully slip past them all when they immediately began bickering with each other. Minato sighed in relief as he plopped down ungracefully next to his friend. It was a good thing that there was someone else already on his other side, then the girls wouldn't begin fighting over who would sit next to him. And thank god, because it meant bad things were going to happen if—god forbid—that people began exchanging blows just to sit next to him. Who in the world _does_ something like that?

"I hate you, you know that?"

"Hmm," was the only response that he received from the lazy, brown- eyed and haired, sarcastic, sharp tongued, and overall sleep-loving bum before the other boy promptly turned his attention away, bent on catching some sleep before the class started. Not that it would have actually mattered because he probably would have slept either way, but that wasn't the blonde's problem. Minato looked faintly amused for a moment, taking some pleasure in elbowing his friend's side with more than really necessary force as their sensei strolled in. A smile set on his face as he heard the other curse in pain and misfortune, practically feeling the glare sent his way burn into the side of his skull.

Unfortunately—or fortunately depending on how you looked at it—their sensei heard a few select words, spinning around faster than anyone could comprehend.

"Nara, language." he snapped, which was accompanied by a strict glare that made many of them feel as if they were back in their first year unconsciously shrinking back into their seats to make their forms as small as possible and hopefully out of line of fire.

The room was completely silent with no one doing as much as shifting the wrong way. Minato, on the other hand, was definitely laughing on the inside at his friend. It was too much and on the first day too! Man, this was good. A groan interrupted his musings as he turned to the source of the noise, ready to rub it in his friend's face a little.

Stopping, the blonde took in the sight before him with confused eyes. He blinked, and then blinked again, watching as Shikaku, slowly picking himself off the floor and dragging himself to his seat with what looked like the beginnings of quite a large bruise smack dab in the middle of the boy's forehead.

He raised an eyebrow skeptically, 'How-,' cerulean eyes traveling back to the floor, searching and catching sight of a chalk eraser sitting innocently by his friend's side.

'Oh. When had he…?'

Minato shifted his gaze from Shikaku to his sensei and then back, only to repeat the process a few more times before he casually placed an elbow on the table, palm against his mouth in what looked to be a lazy gesture. He really hoped that it would be enough to keep his screams of laughter from howling across the classroom. Minato knew that that plan just flew right out the window when his shoulders began to shake uncontrollably. Others were starting to turn their eyes to him in concern, which only made him far more amused. Shikaku, noticing this, scowled in his direction and sent the amused blonde a rude gesture. It certainly didn't help that the angry looking blemish in the middle of the Nara's face was blatantly obvious.

That was when he knew he lost the internal battle, and quite badly too. Every head in the room turned to the blonde in surprise as his laughter filled the room, eyes crinkled and arms wrapped around his abdomen in his fit of hilarity. It didn't take long for everyone else to figure out what happened and eventually join in.

Today was actually beginning to look up.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

This was stupid. Why was he so nervous? It was ridiculous; in fact everything about this situation was. He felt stupid. No. He didn't feel stupid; he knew it was stupid.

Wait, didn't he just say that? Well, whatever.

Not only was he feeling clueless…and stupid, but he was stuck back in the place that he avoided for as long as possible until he could be able to find a solution back home.

Not that it worked or anything.

Nope.

Failed, and miserably too.

So here he found himself, standing coincidently in front of his old classroom. He found it a little weird and a bit creepy in a _déjà vu kind of way_. Not only that, but he felt like he somehow failed with not being able to find a solution for a way back. And isn't it extremely awkward to see all the villagers and shinobi, some of which will be the parents of his friends all small and young in chibi like versions of themselves. Oh, and the fact that major events that led to shape and structure his Konoha haven't really happened yet.

He almost forgot that part.

So once again, he was here, feeling both like a failure and dobe, as well as strange and awkward as shown before, standing in the doorway of his not-yet-to-be classroom waiting to be called in. Taking a few deep breaths in hopes that it'll calm his frazzled nerves, the boy ran a hand through his hair, closing his eyes for a moment in thought. After a moment, he straightened his back a bit, opening his eyes in determination and setting his jaw right before placing a neutral look across his face. He stood there listening to the ruckus that was happening inside, drawing his brows together in confusion when the noise was suddenly replaced with then eerie silence and then laughter that came soon after. He calmly reached over and slowly slid the door open when he heard the signal for his arrival. Stepping through the doorway, he gazed up and calm deep blue clashed with dark brown. With that, he barely heard anything past the sensei's introduction as the room sank away.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

The blonde couldn't place it, but there was something about this Shinji character. Minato had yet to decide if that was a good or a bad thing, though. He found it strange how the boy was staring at Shikaku, and knowing that his lazy friend sensed the gaze when he felt his friend shift in his seat.

How odd.

_Shikamaru…_

That was the first thing that rang through Keita's head.

He knew he was being irrational.

It was stupid.

It was foolish.

It was his father.

Therefore, it wasn't him.

It wasn't Shikamaru.

_Way to go genius. Did you figure that all out by yourself?_

Keita suddenly felt a cold feeling building itself up in his chest. How could he have let himself be affected like this? But damn, they look so alike that it was staggering when Shikamaru was that age. Kind of like how he really looked like Minato did right now.

Creepy...

_Naruto was not in a good mood right now. No, he was not a happy camper, not that he really liked camping anyway, but he was definitely not in a good mood. He was cold and clammy, in a narrow and stuffed cave, which really wasn't making him feel any better. It was dark and damp and the blonde could practically feel the hollowness of it all seep into his clothes, pass his skin and bones, and through his very soul. Naruto shivered before turning a critical eye, looking down at his teammate, who half lay against the stone cold wall, clutching his bleeding side in an effort to slow the blood flow. Those dripping noises were beginning to get on his nerves and the soft tapping that he could only associate with unknown creatures lurking in the dark put him even more on edge. The chakra flowing in also-_

_Wait. Chakra was flowing in. It was small and barely traceable, but it was there. Why hadn't he noticed it before? 'Damn! They used their chakra in a thin flow to locate where we were!' The blonde cursed quietly, hoping not to alert his partner of how close the enemy nins were. 'It's ingenious, but now is not the time to appreciate that when our lives are at stake.'_

"_Shikamaru, we have to get moving, we don't have time for this." He gathered their belongings hastily, speaking in low tones and moving in slow movements as not to attract the already unwanted attention they were bound to receive in time._

"_No."_ _The blonde didn't even bother looking up at the other man and continued to pack and take out the last supply of weapons they had. "What?" he asked with half a mind, mild confusion present in his tone but Shikamaru could tell the blonde didn't really hear him with his attention obviously elsewhere. _

_Shikamaru furrowed his brows together in an act of aggravation. "I said no, Naruto." he stated firmly, eyes calculating and glistening with intelligence._

"_What are you talking about?" Again, he didn't even bother to show much interest in what the man was saying._

_A surprisingly low growl surfaced from the bottom of the brunette's throat before he slammed his fist against the hard coldness of the ground. "You're not even listening!" he shouted in obvious frustration._

_Naruto paused as the fist connected with the floor, shifting a bit and resuming packing what was left. "Oh course I am," he stated simply._

_Shikamaru sighed, trying to calm his nerves, suddenly feeling extremely tired. It was too dark to see much even with his eyes adjusting to the environment. Many thoughts raced through his mind, eyes grave and accepting. The genius thought about everything—his family, his friends, Konoha's great fall from grace, the future, and just too many things to comprehend all at once. Without realizing it, his breathing rate increased, and Naruto stopped what he was doing, listening to his friend breathe. _

"_Shika," the brunette looked up, his eyes flashing in surprise._

"_You're thinking too much. We'll be okay. Relax and stop thinking so hard." What little light there was flickering from who-knows-where gave Naruto the view on him, gaze traveling across his friend's form before settling on his face. The blonde's lips stretched in a smile that looked a little strained at best, but Shikamaru was surprised when he returned one of his own wholeheartedly, even if it was a tired and wary smile._

"_I don't think that I can stop thinking, Naruto." Shikamaru smirked as the blonde rolled in eyes in exasperation. "Unless I'm lying on this floor cold, motionless and dead, then I'll be thinking no matter how troublesome it is."_

_Naruto winced at the vulgar joke, but hey—not many knew that the famed strategist had acquired a bit of a crude sense of humor. It wasn't something that was really unexpected or unseen, though. Many shinobi gained strange habits and quirks to cope with the insanity of their jobs and lives, helping them stay relatively sane. 'Pff. please, Kakashi with his perverted book and legendary tardiness, Gai and Lee with their "flames of youth," Kakashi and Gai with their competitions of their supposed "rivalry," Jiraiya and his insanely perverted novels—if you can even call them that—and need I really go on?' he thought, feeling a headache suddenly surfacing. He really didn't think right now was a good time to think about any of that._

"_Smart ass." The brunette just wore that same infuriating smirk on his face that normally drove Naruto crazy but he just grinned in what he knew had been a long time. Apparently, Shikamaru knew it too from the shock that momentarily fleeted across his face._

"_Then how can you be so calm about this?" He asked in an uncharacteristically hesitant and uncertain tone. The blonde didn't answer and for a moment Shikamaru didn't think that he would actually get an answer to his question, opening his mouth once again only to snap it shut when he received one._

"_I'm not."_

_Shikamaru blinked, ceasing his forehead in all the possible meanings that statement could have. He came up with nothing. Why was that troublesome blonde so hard to understand? "What?"_

"_The way I see it is that you either come with me willingly, or I'll force you to. I'm not leaving you, so you can just take that idea and shove it. We need to stay together, Shika, not after…" Naruto trailed off, a distant look entering his eyes as if he were gazing far off in a distance._

_Blinking out of his momentary lapse, Naruto spoke in a firm voice. "I'm not leaving without you. So, either we both get out of here as fast as we can and possibly live to see tomorrow, or we stay here and fight together and most likely die, but at least we will be in it together either way. You choose."_

"_Your sentimental values cloud your judgment. You know that, don't you?"_

"_Of course I do," Naruto grinned good naturely, a mischievous glint in his eyes before his mood sobered up a bit, "and I've never regretted it before."_

"_Troublesome blonde." _

"_I know you love me for it."_

"_Che, you can think whatever you want, but it doesn't mean that you're right."_

"_Fine, I will."_

"_So, what's the game plan?" Naruto hurriedly spoke in a hushed tone. "What do you choose?"_

"_We'll never outrun them." He sighed, laying the facts down bluntly._

_Shikamaru could tell that Naruto was beginning to get agitated. "Yes! Yes, we can. We just need to hurry!"_

"_And their ranks outnumber our own by many." Shikamaru continued on, ignoring Naruto's interruption completely used to the blonde's moods and habits by now._

"_That doesn't matter and you know it," Naruto spoke, determination shining brightly even in the darkness, and making Shikamaru's lips twitch in somewhat of a bittersweet smile, "not for shinobi like us." The blonde continued and he caught himself before Naruto could question him._

_The brown eyed man gazed across to the blonde, eyes strong and calculating, moving over the blonde's form to his own and taking in both their chances—their physical states, their injuries, their lack of supplies—their chances of both of them making it out alive were slim to none at most. "Naruto, you and I both know that I can't go on, not like this."_

"_Don't talk like that! We can-"_

"_Geez," he shook his head, brown hair swaying across his face in its disheveled state. "I just had to be stuck with someone as troublesome as you, Naruto. Calm down already. I have a plan, but you need to listen carefully, okay?"_

"_I'm listening," the blonde replied solemnly, pausing for a moment before speaking, "just promise me something, Shika." The brown-eyed jounin took in the serious tone in his friend's voice, turning to face him even though they could hardly see beyond each other's general figure._

"_What?" his tone clearly irritated at being interrupted in their short time span._

"_Promise me that we'll both make it out alive after this." Naruto knew it was a ridiculous thing to ask of his friend. He must have sounded pathetic and desperate, but the blonde couldn't really make himself care at this point. _

_War did a lot of things to people. You'll find that some would do anything to stay alive and desperate measures had to be taken. Dignity and honor had no real meaning in these times and killing was just a regular occurrence, no matter how hard it was to accept. Fighting dirty and using unorthodox methods meant nothing as long as you stayed alive. There was no glory in war, no glory in killing another who was defending their village just as they were._

_Shikamaru's brown eyes darkened a bit, but it was too dark for Naruto to notice. Heaving a sigh, the brown haired man, scratched the side of his head lazily. "How troublesome, okay, I promise, Naruto, that we'll be together."_

_Naruto nodded in acceptance, cerulean eyes glinting slightly in thought. He could feel the signatures getting steadily closer and he knew his lazy teammate could feel it, as well. "Okay, what's the plan?"_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

But we weren't.

You lied.

We didn't make it out together and at that moment that I hated you. I hated you so much for leaving me like this, alone and broken. It was when you said, "We'll be together," and with those words that flew out your mouth and through those smirking lips and knowing eyes that I realized that you weren't going to make it at all.

It didn't matter though, because I realized too late.

_We'll be together._

What does that even mean?

_We'll be together._

Did you plan to leave me like this?

_We'll be together._

Why?

It is because you are dead—all of you are.

Why must you all haunt me like this? Why do you torment me with your words? Why do you visit me in my dreams and torture me with your kind gestures of faith and loyalty. Why?

I keep you alive not only in my heart but in my mind, as well. And that is where I start to fall. The darkness that encompasses me is so cold and empty that it almost fills me up with warmth.

We'll be together again in death.

Are those the unspoken words that never left your lips?

We'll be together. Is that what you meant? Or is it that we'll be together after I am lying, motionless and dead? You—all of you are alive within me. But what if it's not enough? That I can't bear to go on without the presence of my comrades by my side, that being together in just spirit cannot keep me satisfied because I am selfish.

My heart remembers you always, all your faults and actions turn into something that remains good and pure and that is how you are committed in my memory, just like everyone else who is loved by their precious ones. My mind, though, my mind keeps you engraved in my thoughts. Every action that I take, I remember of the sin and foolishness of my mistake. Your blood that only I can see, dripping from my hands. You kill me from the inside with the remembrance of your good deeds and selfless acts, and it sickens me to the core because I know that you were never meant to die—die for me. Your memory's engraved in my mind and is the reason for many of my sleepless nights.

You will not be forgotten.

All of you.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

'_Don't their numbers ever end?!' Naruto mentally screamed as tens more nins took the place of the five that lay not too far behind him. It was getting damn annoying. He couldn't risk doing anything of drastic measure due to the close confides of the cave. Any sudden explosions or blast could cause it to cave in. The good thing was that it also limited his enemies' attacks, as well. Even they weren't that stupid. The bad thing was that close combat wasn't his strongest point especially when he had to constantly keep his chakra in check._

_A scream tore his attention away for a moment. Well, at least Shikamaru was having a good time. I mean, he couldn't see a thing, not that he needed to with his advance senses, and that lazy bum was just strolling around like it was nothing. Darkness took up almost every inch of the cave, and shadows were swarming everywhere that it wasn't even funny. The Nara had the largest advantage that anyone could ever give him, but the numbers just kept pouring in._

_Even with their clear advantage over these weak nins, it was just too many to take on without disturbing the environment around them. Naruto knew that Shikamaru obviously knew this too, probably before he did. _

_What the hell was the man doing?_

_He couldn't see, but he kept his ears on the Nara, hearing him take off his vest. _

_Naruto narrowly avoided the chakra filled punch aimed at his face, giving his eyes enough light to see what he was doing._

_No. He wouldn't._

_He couldn't even say anything. He didn't have time._

_Shikamaru looked up, sensing his shocked gaze before smiling grimly, mouthing him a couple of words that would haunt his nights before setting the explosive tags off that were connected to his chest. The explosion was tremendous, the stone walls falling and caving in. He also noticed that that bastard waited until he was near the cave entrance before he acted on his plan before he blacked out._

"_We'll be together."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Keita smiled the best he could when he was assigned the seat beside the person who noticed that he was staring, hoping that it didn't come out as a grimace across his face instead. He must have succeeded because the other boy seemed to not pay any mind, but then again this was Shikamaru's father. Perhaps he didn't succeed after all. No one really knew what ran through their heads of the Nara men anyway.

Mentally sighing, Keita just knew that fate threw this in his face to get a laugh out of it. Well, he wasn't going to let them have their fun. Nuh uh. Nope. He leisurely walked to his seat, and sat in it, breathing steadily before deciding to introduce himself. "I'm Shinji Keita. What's your name?" He spoke, sticking his hand out politely.

The white haired boy inwardly sweated a bit when all he got was a blank stare back, feeling as if the other was searching him with those calculating, lazy brown eyes of his. Shikamaru really did prove to be his father's son, after all. Then, the boy shifted to the side, putting his head back down on the desk, and Keita didn't think that he was going to get an answer, blinking as his hand was left in the air. It didn't really bother him much, though. I mean, really, he's had people threaten to kill him for looking at them for more than half a second, so this was nothing.

His lips curved upward in amusement. He lowered his hand, surprised when it was instead taken into a warm embrace. "Nara Shikaku," Keita lifted his gaze up from the hand that held his own, only to find that the brown haired boy hadn't even bothered to look up. His head rested on his folded arms with his facing down to the table.

Raising a brow in question, Keita wondered how he did it without looking; turning his head to the amused blonde seated on Shikaku's other side. He froze as his eyes landed on Minato. It was lucky that the neither of the boys were really paying attention.

Damn. How could he forget already? Now he had another problem to deal with. Keita didn't even know if the blonde remembered him. He hasn't done anything to imply that he did, but it was better to be cautious. He would just have to play it by ear.

Keita noticed that his hand getting increasing warm, recalling that it was still being held. "Umm…you can let go of my hand now."

The white haired boy shook his hand a bit to get the other boy to take a hint, but the grip only tightened. "Hello?" He shook his hand harder.

"I don't think he can hear you." The blonde's voice caused Keita to pause, contemplating what to do in the other's presence before shrugging it off.

"Huh? What do you mean?" Minato was grinning widely from ear to ear, opening his mouth to reply when a particularly loud snore erupted from his friend.

Keita blinked in confusion for a moment before it clicked together in his mind. Sweat dropping, he waved his arm around a bit more just to make sure, yet the hold on him wouldn't leave, not even loosen. Keita began to feel his right brow starting to twitch a little.

The fool was asleep.

Great.

Just _great_.

Fate won again.

Damn it. That laughing was getting annoying.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

"_You don't know?"_

"_I don't have a tousan or kaasan."_

"_How come?"_

"_I've never met my family. I don't even know what they look like."_

"_Why?"_

"_I guess I'm not meant to be loved."_

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Okay, I almost completely forgot about this. It's soo hard to keep my focus nowadays with everything going on in my life. If you haven't read my note on at the beginning, my stories will be taking a long time to be updated if you couldn't already tell and I hope that I will continue on writing because I love it, but unfortunately my lack of motivation is really pulling me down. I'll try my best!

Please review!

Much Love!

xxFrozenSn0wxx


End file.
